


A prince just wants good ol' loving

by SunFallDown



Category: Final Fantasy VII
Genre: Alternate Universe - Fairy Tale, Cinderella Elements, M/M, Not Beta Read
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2018-12-15
Updated: 2018-12-15
Packaged: 2019-09-19 17:21:23
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 6,512
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/17005896
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/SunFallDown/pseuds/SunFallDown
Summary: The king's orders are clear: A ball is to be celebrated, where the Prince of Midgar is to choose among all the ladies and gentlemen of the kingdom, for one special partner, the person that the Prince chooses to marry.Zack's feelings differ, however. Even as a prince, he just wishes for love to come his way, but this is not the right way to do it. He loathes the idea of a bachelor's game disguised as a ball.Destiny, however, sometimes makes the best situations out of the seemingly worst.





	A prince just wants good ol' loving

**Author's Note:**

> A secret santa! Wow, one that I turn up at a good moment, yay me! This is for Kei Xion, a very nice person that I got to meet through a Clack Secret Santa. I read something about fairy tale retellings, and, this idea was just too good not to write.
> 
> (God writing long fics really is hard, how do other people do it)

_“Attention, to all citizens of Midgar! I have a most joyous announcement to make! In two weeks from now, the palace shall open its gates, for a great ball shall take place! Dust off your most beautiful dresses, and put on the most elegant ties, for this is a most special occasion! As a mandate of the king, our dearest prince shall be looking for his potential partner-in-crime! His other half, the one to make him go on cloud nine! And, in order to satisfy our prince’s preferences, not only shall the ladies have a chance, but also the gentlemen can ask for a dance! So, prepare your game plans, dearest maidens and gentlemen, for you may have a chance at scoring the sweetest man alive!”_

* * *

 

Although not too terribly fond of the nickname “puppy” that some people insisted on giving him, Zack wanted to believe that that meant he came across as a friendly guy, or, at the very least, people didn’t consider him scary. After all, being tall, bulky and having a… very high rank… it would usually mean that people would probably be a bit intimidated by his presence. That didn’t seem to be the case, thankfully.

Except that, at that moment, his loud stomps on pristine marble, his upright posture, his death glare… At that moment, few servants even dared to look too closely at their prince.

He arrived in front of two heavy wooden doors. Hadn’t he been rigorously trained in proper manners with wooden-spoon-heavy punishment, he would have kicked it right open. Instead, he made the civil decision of simply opening the doors carefully and slamming them behind him, _loudly_. He was _mad_.

“ _Sephiroth_ ,” he called, his voice low and oozing anger.

The man sat behind his desk, working on various papers, not even slightly fazed at Zack’s stunts. His reading glasses sat comfortably at the bridge of his nose, and Zack’s anger didn’t but increase at the fact that, behind those, Sephiroth’s eyes didn’t even _made an attempt_ at acknowledging his presence.

“Zackary,” Sephiroth greeted him. “I assume you heard about the announcement.”

Zack’s eye twitched at that. “Yes. Yes, I very much have.”

“Perfect.” Putting down his pen, Sephiroth stood up from his desk and walked towards Zack. “Then, I will arrange some tutorials with Hewley so you can review ball dancing, and some meetings with Rhapsodos so you have a proper attire. Please discuss with them any ideas you might have on their respective fields—”

“I will not attend the ball,” Zack declared. “Any preparations you already have, cancel them. _Immediately_.”

Sephiroth didn’t even skip a beat. “That is not an option. See, your Highness, for this ball is an idea from your Majesty, you have no authority to cancel it, and your father has issued special orders on me to ensure that you participate, and don’t try to sabotage it.”

Zack’s brows furrowed. Was Seph for real?

He started breathing slowly through his nose. “I said, I won’t be attending the ball, so if my father is going to waste gold into organizing _some bachelor’s game_ where there is no bachelor available, tell him he might as well fund an orphanage. Much better usage, in my opinion.”

“While I commend your charitable spirit,” Sephiroth seemed like he had planned the entire conversation before Zack’s arrival. “I insist, you, not attending the ball, is not an option.”

“Okay, drop the fucking formalities already,” Zack’s anger broke through his features, as he started spitting his words. “Are you for real, Seph? Are you not going to defend me? Are you really letting my father get away with treating me like some—”

“I _did_ defend you, Zack.” For the first time since Zack came in, Seph looked into his eyes. He seemed… tired. “Believe me or not, that is up to you, but this type of setup is also very tasteless and vapid in my opinion. I stood up against the idea the second I had the chance to, but…”

Sephiroth stopped talking for a while, removing his reading glasses for a moment to pinch the bridge of his nose and slowly walking towards his desk again. He was _definitely_ tired. Zack took a second to look at Sephiroth’s desk: multiple forms with a signature written on top and a royal seal stamped on wax, random business cards of various contacts, some spare open letters… Seph hated paperwork, yet Zack had to assume that he had been working all morning on sorting the ball’s preparations.

That managed to calm Zack’s anger for a second. He was probably targeting his anger towards the wrong guy. Seph was his friend (sort of… kinda… were they? Probably, yeah), and he thought the same way Zack did about the ball being a bad idea. Zack sighed, relaxing his shoulders.

Shiva, was his father a problem sometimes.

His Majesty the King was a man of romance, the kind to never shut up about his beautiful wife and about what kind of great escapades the two of them had, or about how amazing their dates were, and while, at times, annoying, it was very sweet, and Zack commended his father for that. However, his father’s good intentions of seeing Zack experience the same type of happiness had, somewhere along the way, muddled into an… _obsession_. From offering to set up blind dates with daughters of nice men the king knew, to just straight _setting them up without Zack knowing_ , and now, a bachelor’s game disguised as a ball, the king was adamant on watching his son get married and live happily ever after.

Zack knew his father held nothing but good intentions in his heart, and Shiva as a witness, he loved his dad a lot, but… was it too much to ask for? To simply live life as Zack had always done, just waiting for the right moment where some amazing person would drop into his life, and let it all happen naturally? His father had experienced that, why did Zack need to rush it? He wanted a lover too, but he wasn’t _desperate_ …

 “At the very least,” Seph spoke up again, interrupting Zack’s thoughts. “I managed to convince his Majesty to allow male suitors at the ball too. I… do profusely apologize for revealing it myself, that was your conversation to have, but I figured that, it would perhaps make it more pleasant for you, or, at the very least, less of a chore.”

Zack stared into Seph’s eyes for a solid minute.

“Oh, uhh… It’s okay man. Thank you for that. And, uhm… sorry, for, you know, yelling at you.”

Scratching the back of his neck, Zack stared at Seph as the man took a deep breath.

“It’s alright, I expected it anyway. Maybe you should talk to your father and see if he would cancel the ball at your request.”

Zack cracked a small smile. “If not, at the very least, I’ll find someone to help you out with all the calls and letters.”

For a second there, Zack could have sworn he saw a glimmer of hope in Seph’s eyes, just vaguely concealed behind his poker face.

“That would be most pleasant. I’ll be rooting for you.”

“Yeah! Leave it to me! I’m sure I can convince dad!”

* * *

 

Update: Zack had not convinced his dad.

Eight chimes from the bell announced that the palace doors were open, and as the guards allowed people to enter the ballroom, Genesis watched comfortably from the side-lines, contemplating and criticising the many dresses, suits and hairstyles that were readily available for his judgement. There was a girl with red hair, braided into a crown, wearing a long and pompous green dress with golden details. Genesis took pity on her for a second, the poor girl could pass for a Christmas tree from the number of jewels she had on her. There was also a man with long black hair tied into a ponytail. He wore a very standard black suit, white shirt and blue tie. Genesis couldn’t afford it but to think that the entirety of his charm could be stripped away by simply removing the ponytail.

He scoffed. A lot of people were either too simple or too extravagant. He hated that from royal balls, had no one ever considered the importance of good balance? Colour matching? That maybe mini-skirts were stuff from last season?

He walked back towards the dressing room where the puppy was waiting. At the very least, he could pride himself in the nice military style that he had chosen for Zack. A heavy vest that emphasised his shoulder and chest width, sleek pants that accentuated his figure but didn’t get in the way of movement, a blue cape to make his rank very clear (and make a good synergy with his eyes), everything was perfect…

Except for the poor puppy’s attitude, who kept walking around the dressing room in deep stress.

“Don’t you dare do your squats with those pants,” Genesis warned him, as he entered the room. “I already see you tearing them apart and embarrassing yourself.”

“I know, I know.” Zack stopped for a second, taking a deep breath. “Anyone interesting?”

“Yes, definitely. If ‘interesting’ dropped ten ranks and became synonyms with ‘I am not physically disgusted’ then sure, everyone is interesting!”

Zack groaned and walked towards a wall, resting his forehead against the wallpaper.

“Come on, Gen,” Angeal started. “The poor guy’s suffering, be nice to him.”

“I’m as nice as I can afford right now. I can’t work out the puppy’s type without some hints, you know? All I’ve seen him doing is reject the damsels that daddy brings him.”

“Ughhh,” Zack kept groaning. “I don’t know… I like cute girls. And cute guys. And cute people.”

“Yes, very helpful Zack.”

“I seriously don’t know!” He turned towards Genesis, desperation clear across every single one of his features. “How am I supposed to know?”

“Jeez, it’s quite simple,” Gen started. “For example, I like my men like I like my coffee: Strong, powerful profile and with a lot of depth to them. And if they can keep me awake all night, that’s a plus I won’t omit.”

 “Too much info, thank you very much.”

“What Genesis means,” Angeal intervened, “is that you should maybe think about some features in people that you like the most. Are you sure there’s nothing you can think of? Hair, eyes, hands even…”

Zack started thinking. Genesis knew, because Zack had a ‘thinking face’ whenever he started focusing on something. The pout was cute.

“Maybe… I like girls with really long hair… I don’t have a preference for colour though. Eyes… maybe green? Or blue? I’m not sure, something that shines, that would be nice. Oh, but I do like to hold hands with people with smaller hands than me!”

Genesis sighed. The puppy could be so basic at times.

Zack noticed Genesis’ disapproval and started pouting again. “I don’t know, I just like nice people! Like, cheerful, pretty, colourful…”

_Colourful_. The simple thought of Gen having to deal not only with Zack’s lack of fashion sense, but also with miss Christmas Tree’s lack of sensibility, was enough to bring a chill down his spine.

“Well, then you’ll just have to talk with some people.” Angeal walked towards Zack and gave him a pat on the shoulder. “Try to have some fun, dance around, meet new friends; just try to make the most out of this. Your Majesty might be a bit… strange, with his plans, but he just wants to see you happy.”

Zack sighed. “I know, I know, I will.” He stood up straight, rearranged the places that felt iffy and stared at the door. “What are you guys going to do tonight?”

“We’ll hang around. If someone starts harassing you, call me immediately. We’ll make quick work of it.”

“Until then,” Gen laughed, “I have a date pending with a good piece of cake!”

“I hope it’s not a man-cake, we don’t need public indecency around,” Zack scoffed.

Angeal smacked them both. “Watch your dirty mouths, gentlemen. You,” he pointed at Angeal, “are on duty, and you,” he pointed at Zack, “have to give a good impression to our guests.”

Genesis smiled deviously. “There’s a good impression to be given, but—”

_“No.”_ Angeal cut him off.

Gen and Zack kept laughing.

* * *

 

“Your Highness,” a robust man talked behind him, almost making Zack jump out of his skin. “May I… May I have this dance?”

Zack checked him out for a second. The man had completely white hair, like Seph’s, but kept it very short, almost military style. He was tall, even taller than Zack, and under his suit there seemed to be pure muscle. There would be a part of Zack that would keep himself on alert, if it wasn’t because the man was blushing a deep shade of red as he offered his hand.

“Of course,” Zack smiled at him. “What’s your name?”

The man blushed even deeper at Zack’s smile. “I- IamMagnus! It’s- anhonortomeetyou!”

_Magnus,_ Zack thought to himself. They danced together to a soft waltz, moving together on a good rhythm. From what Zack could gather from the man, he learned that Magnus was a butcher, older than Zack for around five years, and had a small kitten that he kept well fed. Zack also learned that, despite the imposing aspect, Magnus was extremely shy, he rushed his words pretty often, and blushed at any smile or hint of interest that Zack could offer him.

Magnus was cute. That dance had left him smiling. He would need to keep him in mind for later.

The night hadn’t been so bad. By eleven, the number of good dances definitely outweighed the bad ones. There had been Magnus (who was just generally cute), a girl called Tyra that could dance really well (but she seemed more interested in making friends than romance), a girl called Elisa who had really soft hands, among others.

However, Zack had been dancing (and talking) for something like two hours. He could still go for it, but he felt like he would start sweating buckets any moment, and if that happened, one, Genesis would kill him, and two, people would definitely notice, and then no magazine would stop talking about the sweaty, smelly, messy prince of Midgar.

He excused himself from the multiple suitors that kept surrounding him. So many of them insisted on having deeper conversations, so many of them wanted another go at the dancing, and even more wanted their own turn at a dance (mental note: never promise to dance with an unknown number of people, ever again), but Zack just needed some fresh air.

The gardens. There was an exit to them right behind some curtains. And since everyone was either at the dance hall or at the banquet, no one would bug him there for a while. Perfect.

Somehow, even though many people tried to chase him, Zack managed to slip through them undetected. Along the way, he managed to get a glimpse of Angeal body-blocking people from his path, engaging in a friendly-enough conversation for them to get distracted. Hell yeah. He’d definitely need to thank Angeal for that one later. Or brace himself for some extreme dance practice sessions. Well, both were worth it in the end.

Right behind a heavy velvet curtain, a crystal window let directly to the gardens, where Zack’s mother would spend her free time cultivating carnations. As the moon shone almost directly above them, the clear skies offered an almost ethereal light to the flowers and the rock walks that led to the different plantations.

Zack sighed. As he walked down the paths, he slipped off his jacket for a second and held it on his arm, letting the calm spring breeze cool him down. The further he walked from the music and the sound of people talking, the more he realized how draining all that talking had been. Zack liked people, truly, but… being “Midgar’s Prince” for the public for a long time was exhausting. He needed a moment of solitude to recharge.

Gen would hate him for this, but maybe he could go to the small spring around the gardens, to splash his face with some water at the very least. Oh Shiva, he could already hear Genesis complaining about ruining his suits by moving 0,5 centimetres more than the cloth can resist.

However, right at the spring… there was a person.

Zack froze for a second. Had someone followed him here? Wait, no, he found this person already at the springs. How had they gotten here? How did they even find the door? It was hidden under a curtain, so how—

“Oh,” the man reacted as he heard Zack’s footsteps. “Hey.”

Zack didn’t answer.

“Ahh, tired of the crowd too, right? It’s alright, I won’t bother you.”

The man kept staring at the flowers right next to the spring.

That man… was _beautiful_ …

Zack kept staring at him without even realizing. Blond hair, combed backwards, but it looked like it was kept in place by hair gel and a wish upon a star, because there were a couple of stray spikes. But his eyes… and his hands… his eyes shone a deep blue, matching perfectly with the night’s sky, and his hands, even from a distance, Zack could notice the strength on those fingers, yet they handled the touch of a flower so delicately…

Before Zack could even notice he was staring, the man was looking into his eyes, concerned.

“Is there a problem?”

It felt like someone had dropped a block on top of Zack’s head. His consciousness whiplashed back to reality, and he started stuttering.

“Ah, um, sorry for that, I—” he started, as he averted his eyes. “Sorry. I just… wasn’t expecting someone to be here.”

“Oh,” the man said. “To be honest, I’m surprised no one has come here. The flowers are really pretty.”

“You think so?” Zack came closer to the man, taking a glance at the white carnations that were at display.

“Yeah. They’ve been growing perfectly. The stem is healthy, no flower is consuming the others, the petals are very strong, it’s a perfect work.”

Zack wasn’t exactly big on growing flowers, but he did see what the man was talking about. “Oh yeah. Mother looks after these all day long. They’re very nice.”

The man raised his eyes again, this time with a surprised expression. “Your mother grows these?”

“Yeah.”

“Well, please give her my praise. She’s got an enviable green thumb.” The man smiled at him.

Something inside Zack’s chest flipped for a second. Wow was this man pretty. “What’s your name?”

“Cloud.” He extended his hand. “Yours is?”

“I’m Zack,” he accepted the handshake. Cloud’s hand felt a bit rough and calloused… but it was warm… “So, uhm, Cloud… you’re here to court the prince?” _Because you’d be very welcome to do so_ , Zack almost said.

Cloud laughed a bit. “No, not really. My mother says I should give it a go, but, I’m sure the prince has much more interesting suitors waiting for him.”

At that moment, Zack would have probably not been able to remember a single name from the multiple suitors he’s had that night, Cloud was just… _really_ pretty.

“Is that so? Well, someone who knows about flowers already has something pretty interesting to talk about, in my humble opinion.”

Cloud threw a side-glance at Zack, almost like a sort of sarcastic taunt. “Is that so? Well, allow me to seduce you with my knowledge of the millennial art of knowing what fertilizer works best for each flower.”

Zack took the chance and threw his head back, covering himself with an arm in a dramatic gesture. “Oh~ Keep talking to me like that~”

They laughed. Cloud kept talking, this time faking some sort of seductive voice. “Did thee know that flowers change colours with how acidic the soil is? Am I _enthralling_ thee with these facts? Art thou pantaloons _in descent_?”

At that, Zack lost it. He laughed and laughed, barely managing to say in between cackles “A true romance connoisseur of our era.”

“Thank you, thank you, I’ll be here all week.”

Zack kept laughing, and Cloud started laughing with him too. Cloud had a nice laugh. Loud, friendly, _so nice_ … Zack liked listening to it.

Cloud was definitely a nice guy.

“Hey,” Zack started, “if you’re not going to ask _the prince_ for a dance,” he averted his eyes as he scratched the back of his head. “How about if _Zack_ , over here, invites you a drink? It’s really crowded, but they have good drinks!”

Cloud seemed surprised at the invitation. His eyes widened, and the moonlight revealed a very light touch of red inking his cheeks. _Shiva what a beautiful man_.

“That sounds nice…”

Zack beamed.

* * *

 

Mythra was angry. She was _absolutely livid_. She had just wasted an entire night of looking like her perfect self, only to get _that_ kind of treatment. No, _no no no,_ she would not accept this, this was all a load of bull—

“Mythra!” her mother greeted her as she entered the dining room. She was already serving the tea for breakfast. “Oh my, what happened at the ball? I need all the details!”

“Oh, mother, it was all _so terrible_!” Mythra fell directly onto a chair, grabbing a cookie and eating it in one go. “I cannot believe it; the prince completely ignored me!”

“What?! How is that possible? I’m sure you were the most beautiful of the bunch—”

“I’m telling you! See, there was this blond guy, he wore an absolutely _hideous_ suit, his hair was _so badly done_ , yet the prince kept giving him all his attention! They drank together, they danced together for hours, I swear!”

“Oh dearie,” Mythra’s mother pat her head. “I’m so sorry to hear that.”

“And that’s not even the worst part!!!” Mythra was livid. “Even after that man left, the prince would not mind any of the suitors! I tried to flirt, give him some food, yet when he danced with me, he might as well have been dancing with a statue. So rude! I cannot believe this!”

“What kind of manners do they teach royalty nowadays?”

“Exactly! And, what was so special about that blond man anyway?! He left! Mid ball! And in such a rude and rushed manner, yet the prince chased after him?! What the hell?!”

There were tears streaming from Mythra’s face. She felt so humiliated. She had ordered this custom dress with all the golden details exclusively for this occasion, she had her makeup, her flirting techniques, she had all the cards at hand, yet she was bested by some random nobody with a shirt obviously too big for him.

“Oh dearie…” Her mother started undoing her braid. “Please don’t feel bad. I promise you, if the prince did not see you shine, it’s his loss. You’ll find a much better catch than that.”

Mythra did not answer. She kept staring at the floor, hatred blooming from her insides. Would inking her hair blond help? Did she still have a chance?

No. At some point, she had to be realistic. She had just been bested by a random man at catching the prince’s heart. She had been too late.

Really, what had happened there last night?

* * *

 

“Zack, I am your advisor, and I also consider myself your friend, so it’s my duty to tell you that your request is both stupid and also not going to happen.”

Zack pouted. “Oh, come on, Seph! I’m being serious over here!”

“I am too. Unless you’re talking about a criminal, you cannot issue an order for knights to look around the kingdom for a single person. Much less if you only have a vague description of the looks and a name.”

Zack groaned. Jeez, nothing was working out his way.

It had already been a week. It had been an entire week, yet Zack kept dreaming about the ball each night. He kept thinking about Cloud, about how they had danced, about the feel of his hand in Zack’s…

“Alright, alright,” Zack mustered. “Is there any other way? Registers, contacts, anything?”

Seph fell silent for a moment. He frowned as his thoughts kept looking for a possible answer, but in the end, he just shook his head.

“I’m sorry, Zack, but, without a surname, occupation, any more information, really, it becomes nearly impossible to track someone down like that.”

Even though Zack had been expecting that answer, his shoulders still slumped. ‘ _Nearly impossible_.’ Not fully, but so ridiculously hard that trying could cost much more than Zack could possibly give, and that was what hurt him the most.

After a dull thanks, Zack kept walking around the castle. Maybe sparring would help him clear his mind, but he couldn’t find any energy to do that. Every thought in his head would eventually lead back to Cloud, to that night, to _their_ night.  

Zack hadn’t imagined it. He couldn’t have possibly imagined all of that. It was all so vivid, so lucid and _lively._ Their talking, their laughs, their dancing… Zack couldn’t think of Cloud being an illusion or a fantasy, that man had been there, at the ball, keeping Zack company for such a short yet so beautiful moment…

‘ _Natural_ ,’ that was the word. That’s how it all felt. Cloud felt _natural_. His laugh at Zack’s silly jokes, his blink-and-you-will-miss-them smiles, his mannerisms, his speech, even the fact that he talked about silly things, like his favourite fruits (berries, especially strawberries), or what pets he kept at home (‘very big dogs’ as he called them), or that he liked dancing but was terrible at it (Zack had had so much fun guiding his steps), _everything_ , really…

It hadn’t been a son of a duke, wearing his best attire, flirting with fancy words and dancing like an award-winning celebrity; it had been a young man just having fun, as himself… and, on the way, snatching Zack’s heart with a hearty smile and a dopey side-step while waltzing.

Yet every day that passed, that memory mixed itself more and more with feelings and wishes, distorting itself, slowly losing the vividness, threatening to become just another fleeting dream. Was Zack truly destined to just… keep on going? To forget that night?

He didn’t want to. Even if what his heart demanded wasn’t corresponded, he just… needed that feeling again. He wanted to have Cloud looking at him… _like Zack_. Yes, that had to be it. He wanted one friend that wouldn’t address him as ‘your highness,’ not as ‘Zackary Fair, prince of Midgar,’ but simply as ‘ _Zack_ ,’ like Cloud had done all that time…

Behind him, someone laughed.

“My, ain’t someone a bit antsy.”

Zack jumped out of his skin as he turned around. Right behind him, a woman with a brown braid was smiling at him. Had she… _where did she come from?!_

“Even without looking into your heart, it’s clear how lovestruck you are!”

Zack kept staring at her, dumbfounded. Her green eyes kept piercing into Zack’s, almost condescendingly, but with a very small hint of warmth hidden behind them.

“Oh dearie, what’s the matter? Did the cat eat at your tongue?”

“Who… are you?” Zack finally asked.

The woman laughed a bit again. She had a very bubbly laugh. Zack couldn’t decide if he liked the sound of it, or if he should take it as a mockery and feel angry.

“Oh, where are my manners? You’re very right. I am a fairy!” The woman started walking around Zack. “You can also call me Aerith, if that fits your taste more.”

“How—Where did you come from?”

“Isn’t it obvious, dear? Didn’t you know, that fairies appear where they please, at any moment they please?”

“That isn’t really an answer to my question.”

“You ask too many questions,” Aerith countered. “But I digress. I’m not here for that. I’m just having too much fun watching you being all over _cloud nine_.”

Zack’s eyes widened. _Cloud nine_ , was she insinuating…?

“You know Cloud?” Zack asked immediately.

“A dear friend of mine.” Aerith smiled. “Did you like his sweater vest? I tried to give him something much nicer to wear, yet he insisted. I would have given him a bowtie. What do you think?”

Zack clasped at Aerith’s hands. “Where is he? How can I find him?”

“My, aren’t you an eager one.” Aerith shook Zack’s hands off hers, with a strength that Zack didn’t expect. “Alright then! If you wish… I can guide you to him.”

For the first time in a week, Zack’s smile widened almost up to his ears, beaming so brightly Aerith thought to himself how she would need to invest in some sunscreen.

“Really?! Please, whatever you wish in exchange, I can grant it to you.”

“Hmm,” Aerith started thinking, her index at her chin. “I do have some ideas~ But, before that, I want to make sure of a couple of things.”

With a swift gesture of her hand, out of nowhere, Aerith summoned a small wand on her hand. Zack blinked at that. _What_ …?

Before Zack could even realize what was going on, they were at the stables, Zack’s horse already prepared with a saddle and reins.

“Wait, how did we—”

“You ask too many questions,” Aerith cut him off. “Listen, Zack. If you wish to meet Cloud again, then, you will have to trust me. Climb your horse, and let it guide you to wherever it goes. She already knows the way, don’t you, pretty one?”

Almost like an answer, Zack’s horse neighed happily.

“And,” Aerith continued. “No matter what happens alongside the road, I don’t want you to divert her course. If you turn back, I’ll take it like you’re chickening out of this, and I’ll stop helping you. You understand?”

Zack kept staring at Aerith, all too puzzled by her cryptic words.

“Oh, you act like I was some kind of suspicious intruder,” Aerith rolled her eyes. “I _am_ helping you over here. Do you want to meet Cloud, yes or no?” She poked Zack’s chest with her wand.

Swallowing hard, Zack nodded. As weird as all of this was… it was his only shot at finding Cloud.

“Alright, then what are you waiting for?!” Another poke from Aerith’s wand, however, this time, the wand shone a glittery light that covered Zack for a split second. “Go now!”

“Ah—Yes, ma’am!”

Without anything more to add, without even a goodbye or a thanks, Zack climbed on top of his horse, and she started running. Leaving Aerith behind, Zack went on.

* * *

 

Zack mounted from dawn to dusk.

Along the way, Chichiri started changing colours. Her pristine white hair was replaced for a rich brown, and her well-kept mane shifted from shiny braids, to a free flow of black locks.

Zack kept riding.

Along the way, Zack’s clothes started shifting. From silk shirt and pants, the cloth was replaced with coarse linen. His leather shoes turned into worn boots. For the first time in months, Zack’s hair abandoned its well kept shape and turned into furious spikes in all directions, just like his hair would grow naturally.

Zack kept riding.

At dusk, as the golden light started to die slowly, Zack reached the mountains, where people would farm for a living and to keep their kettle alive through painful winters. The spring air, however, had revitalized the meadows, now rich with green and yellow, every now and then with sprinkles of colourful flowers.

Among those mountains, there was a single farm, where Zack was greeted with the barking of wolfhound dogs and a single saint Bernard. _Really big dogs_.

And guiding those dogs, there was a man with blond hair.

* * *

 

As they walked towards the house, Nana, Berry and Fen kept pestering him to share some of the meat from the basket. He had tried to shoo them off with his foot, but every time he did that, Sol took it as her cue to get some pets, so he had already given up on that plan. This was exactly why he had told Tifa not to give him extra fresh meat.

It was okay, though, now he had enough food to feed an entire banquet. Ma promised she would make her special stew, and, honestly, Cloud needed a comfort food.

Tifa and Ma already knew that he was sad, but gods above knew that he wouldn’t ever tell them _why_ exactly he was sad. It was a bit dumb, in the end, and worrying them wouldn’t be worth it. Especially considering how Tifa could get once she heard “the big news” as Cloud was sure she would call it.

Yeah, he was still thinking about the ball. So what? It had been fun, the food had been really good, of course he would feel a bit nostalgic at that memory. After all, how many times can you assist to a massive event just to have fun? Yeah, the crowd had been a bit annoying, but still.

Of course, Cloud knew that wasn’t all there had been, but, yeah, he needed to let it go. It had been a nice, fun encounter, but that had been it, right?

On the distance, a horse neighed.

Cloud looked over the meadows, where a single horseman was having trouble keeping his girl at bay. The horse kept standing on two legs, spazzing around like crazy, and the rider kept trying to calm her down. Nana and Berry barked at them, right before running directly towards them.

“Hey!” Cloud whistled to his dogs. “Come back!”

However, the dogs did not listen. Ditching the basket for a second, Cloud made his way running towards the horse and his rider. Nana and Berry could be really aggressive at times. As the rider calmed his horse down, Nana got to them and started wagging his tail, like she would when she was about to pounce someone.

“Hey, calm down!” Cloud yelled as he managed to grab Nana by the collar. “Sorry mate, this guy’s kinda rowdy.”

The rider laughed. “It’s alright, he seems friendly!”

Cloud froze. That voice…

Raising his eyes from Nana, he looked up towards the rider. Black, spiky hair that shined with the amber light, alongside powerful blue eyes…

“Zack?” Cloud asked, feeling dumbfounded.

“Hey,” Zack greeted him, a painfully handsome smile on his lips.

“What are you doing here?”

“I was… looking for you,” Zack admitted. “I… wanted to see you again.”

At that, Cloud couldn’t avoid a blush from popping on his cheeks. “Wow, I… I really didn’t expect to see you around.”

“It wasn’t easy to find you, you know.” Zack dismounted, now standing very close to Cloud.

“I—I’m, really sorry for leaving the ball like that,” Cloud apologized quickly. “I had a reason, I promise, but… it’s kind of hard to explain.”

“Well, at this point, I’m willing to believe anything,” Zack laughed, as he scratched the back of his head. “Would you believe me if I told you that a fairy helped me find you?”

Cloud’s eyes widened. “Wait, you don’t mean Aerith, do you?”

“Yeah!” Zack kept smiling, and Cloud couldn’t afford it but to smile back. “She also gave me these clothes… I think. And she guided my horse.”

Cloud sighed. “I think that… we have a lot to talk about.”

“I would love to.”

_Shiva_ how was this man so… handsome… Cloud wanted to feel angry, but Zack’s smile prevented him from that. “Do you… want to stay for dinner?”

As his right hand let go of Nana, Zack took it in his own, and raised it to his lips, planting a soft kiss on Cloud’s knuckles.

“Yes. I would like that.”

Oh god, he was about to get teased to heaven and back by Ma, right?

* * *

 

Tifa poured another shot for herself. “So… let me get this straight.”

“Aha.” Cloud poured another one for himself.

“So… you went to that ball, like, a month ago…”

“Yes.”

“You met some dude, who was a prince, and you _did not know that_.”

“In my defense, how was I supposed to know?! It’s not like there’s lots of portraits of the prince around the mountains!”

“Yeah yeah, whatever,” Tifa sighed. “So, you met the prince, and you danced with him, all that jazz.”

“Yeah…”

“A week after that, the _fucking prince_ came around the mountains, visited you, and stayed with you for a week. With _absolutely no one_ noticing.”

“I guess that there were knights looking for him around the capital, but, yeah, no one noticed…?”

“And this is because a fairy gave him enchanted clothes that would disguise him as a merchant?”

“Pretty much, yeah.”

Before continuing, Tifa had to down his shot.

“Great. Fucking amazing. And now…”

“And now…”

“After that week, the prince went back to the Capital… I imagine that must have been a fun day for everyone.”

“Zack did tell me that his advisor almost handcuffed himself to him, so he would not escape again.”

“My condolences.” Tifa served herself another shot. She really needed some drinks. “And, now, you’ve gotten an official letter from the Palace—”

“Signed by the king himself.”

“Yeah, _that_. An official letter from the king… _to marry the prince_.”

“Yes…”

“ _And you plan on saying yes_ …”

“… Yes.”

Tifa sighed, one last time. As she downed the alcohol, she tried to focus on the burning sensation and the light-headedness, because if she focused on Cloud, Shiva was she about to scream.

“Listen, buddy…” Tifa started, pointing the bottle at Cloud before pouring another shot. “I am… I don’t… What the _fuck_?”

“Yeah…” Cloud extended his cup, and Tifa served him another shot.

Pinching at the bridge of her nose, Tifa gritted her teeth. “Will I get at least an invitation to the wedding?”

Cloud smiled at her. “I actually wanted to ask if you wanted to be a… groom’s maid? Would that be the word for that?”

Tifa stared directly into Cloud’s eyes. She knew she was frowning. Cloud had been her best friend since she could remember, and she loved him dearly, but this was a completely new level of bullshit, one that no one had ever given her, and forgive her if she couldn’t conceal it for a while. In fact, people should be grateful she wasn’t yelling into the night some forbidden swearing.

But, the alcohol was already getting to her. Her judgement wasn’t what it usually should be.

“You know what? Yes. I will be your groom’s maid. But I want full control over the alcohol servings.”

“I think that can be arranged.”

Tifa downed one last shot. “Great. Congrats buddy. This might be the single best or worst decision of your life.”

Cloud downed a shot of his own. “Yeah, but… Zack is really nice. I like him.”

Tifa gave him a pat on his head. “Boy, love really is blind, isn’t it.”

**Author's Note:**

> That's what I got! I hope you people liked reading it, in the end it was a very fun idea to experiment with. And I hope y'all have good holidays! For what is me... I still have one final in four days. Life is fun.
> 
> Anyway, any feedback is truly appreciated, and again, hope you guys liked my work. See ya!


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